“Mbappé is a Formula One machine. A Usain Bolt with technique”

Messi is the most loved person in the world, Mbappé the most feared in the World Cup, Jude Bellingham the most wanted, Luis Enrique the most hated individual in Spain, the German referee Daniel Siebert the most hated in Uruguay, the goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny the most loved in Poland, Cristiano Ronaldo the most questioned in Portugal…

A survey by Euromericas Sport Marketing in alliance with Google in 65 countries indicates that 86% of those surveyed are happy with Messi and that 72% have him as an idol, while 83% would like to see him in the game they will watch on television. The United States, England, Brazil, Asia and Africa in general and, of course, Argentina, are the countries where fans of 10 are. Most people answer that they love him for his game, of course, but above all for the personality of his the. “I love his simplicity and humility”… “Because they hit him and he doesn’t complain, he gets up and continues”… “Because he loves children”… “because of his low profile”… “Because he cares for everyone ”…

Kylian Mbappé is a Formula One machine stuck in a soccer field. We want to remember other power phenomena in the past and it is difficult for us. Of strength there have been many, of strength combined with such agility and speed, none. It’s Usain Bolt with technique. An exceptional case. He can beat Pelé’s record of three World Cup wins. He has plenty of category, equipment and age. He already has a title, in 2018, he can win this one and, if he played until he was 35, he would have three more cups to achieve it. In addition to his individual conditions, a footballer needs a favorable environment to attempt the feat and France provides it. It is a crowded selection of talents. Because something must be clear: nobody wins alone, this is from eleven. If Mbappé played in Korea he would not be champion. Tití bears a strong resemblance to Pelé, though without Pelé’s dexterity. Yes more speed of maneuver. O Rei wasn’t slow, but he wasn’t fast either. But the irruption of the Frenchman and his career generate the evocation of Edson Arantes.

Luis Enrique Martínez, a Spanish technician, produces hives in Spain. That it is already a pandemic in the homeland of Cervantes. He is not criticized so much for his technical ability as for his ease, his defiant attitude, on the border with arrogance. In every small town on the peninsula, Real Madrid has 80% fans. He is the undisputed master. Luis Enrique took eight players from Barcelona and two from Madrid to the World Cup. More, knowing that Catalonia, openly, does not feel part of Spain. “He is not the owner of the Spanish National Team”, say millions. “Who does he think he is…? How dare he…?” But Luis Enrique has a self-confidence that stings. And he laughs at everything. And he irritates more. There is a simple explanation: it happens that Barça play better than Madrid. And it happens that Madrid does not have Spaniards. The two that are minimally selectable were: Dani Carvajal and Marco Asensio. Despite such a simple explanation, they still hate it “This is not Spain”, say millions. “The team with a thousand passes created two scoring situations, we are the laughing stock of the world,” others point out. Many wanted to see Spain eliminated. Morocco made them gauchada.

In a bar in Montevideo, some boys play darts aiming at the eyes of Daniel Siebert, in a photo attached to the wall. He is the German judge who led Celeste against Ghana. And they accompany their pitches with an expletive. Several days have passed, but Uruguay continues to claim two penalties that Siebert did not grant them. One to Cavani, another to Darwin Núñez. That is why they did not classify, they protest. Siebert is the national public enemy. For the worse, Argentina and Brazil advanced, which gives more anger. Years will pass, that last name will not be forgotten.

France was beating Poland 3-0, in stoppage time the referee gave the Poles a penalty, Lewandowski converted it, celebrating the goal effusively, as if they had won the World Cup. It served to make up the result. And to improve the personal numbers of the scorer. That did not sit well in Poland. “What celebrates…?”, they all wondered. In the homeland of Lech Wałęsa and Karol Wojtyla they prefer to enthrone Szczęsny, the hero goalkeeper who saved two penalties and stopped the wind in several games so that the discreet white and red team reached the round of 16. The son of a goalkeeper and a handball player, Szczęsny, who saves for Juventus in Italy, became the national idol, dethroned Lewa.

“Here in Portugal the television, the radios, the newspapers, everyone is of the opinion that Cristiano Ronaldo should not play in the National Team. Instead of talking about the team, they spend the whole day talking about that topic”, tells us Jackson Martínez, that Colombian striker who played for Porto and stayed to live there. Christian divides. He is on the decline and people are claiming that he can’t take it anymore and obstructs the youngsters, especially Rafael Leão, 23 years old, a figure of the Italian champion Milan. But while he doesn’t score goals, CR7 has more and more press. And that works like a boomerang in the mood of the fans. SofaScore included him in the dishonorable “Worst XI in the World Cup” team along with four players from Qatar, two defenders from Costa Rica and others who disappointed. Finally, a new rebuff of his to the coach Fernando Santos determined his substitution against Switzerland. The rudeness and that it is no longer for this level. After the win over the Swiss, DT ordered a training session between starters and substitutes and the scorer refused to do so with the substitutes. His time in the elite seems over. He is having a fateful end to his career, in a very low phase of his game, away from the goal, with a string of childish, self-centered attitudes and fights with his coaches, locked in an unbearable vedetism. He lost ownership and, it seems, fell from the elite scene.

Jude Bellingham hails from Birmingham, the city of the Peaky Blinders. He’s 19 years old. And he has everything: speed, dribbling, intelligence, talent, physique, goal, assists, even an elegant movement, all highly appreciated merchandise… He is the revelation of the Cup and the most sought-after footballer in the world at the moment. In the middle of a pandemic, without football, Borussia Dortmund was encouraged to pay 25 million dollars for him when he was barely 17. Now, although his market value is 100 million, many would be happy to keep him even giving double. The future of him is immensely promising. At his age, he is already the star who guides England along with Harry Kane. He has the ingenuity of 10, the spark that turns people on and unlocks a game. This World Cup is consecration for him, his springboard.

Qatar begins to leave sensations. That will be perpetuated in time. The World Cups leave their mark.